Letter from PAX

This is a letter Bill Batt received in late January from Oksana Pavliouk, Director of an organization called PAX (Program of Academic Exchange). They are offering an opportunity for interested RPCV's:

Dear Mr. Batt,

I was researching your RPCVs website and took the liberty to email you directly because our program is also committed to the third goal of Peace Corps -Bring the World Home, and we really want our information to reach your group members. I work for PAX - Program of Academic Exchange, which is a non-profit educational foundation. Our mission it is to increase mutual respect, appreciation, and better communication among the people of the world. We promote and arrange inbound and outbound high school/homestay programs to foster the positive development of the world's young people and to support international peace, friendship and cross-cultural understanding.

The PAX programs are built on the simple concept that we can best learn about a different culture and best master a foreign language by living as a family member in that country. In 2003 we proudly administered the first year of Partnerships for Learning Youth Exchange and Study Program (YES), which is an innovative high school exchange program funded by the U.S. Department of State''s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The YES Program evolved in the aftermath of the events of September 11, 2001. Its goals are to increase public diplomacy that has been neglected in the past - neglect which resulted in the negative perception of the U.S. overseas. Rather than close our doors to foreigners, Congress was urged by exchange programs like us to fund new opportunities for exchange between the U.S. and the Muslim world especially. This is how the YES program was born.

Last summer I was lucky to find two amazing RPCVs: Karen Hagewood of CA and Maranee Claire Sanders of OR, who became YES Cluster Leaders for our program. Our first year we received scholarship students from Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia and Malaysia. The success of our Cluster Leaders and YES students proved the local communities how much we have to learn about the world, if not by traveling, then - from home. And the reason I am emailing you is because the program is expanding this year and will include the Philippines, Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, and we need more people like Karen and Maranee, people who love learning about the world, who served in Peace Corps and, therefore, truly understand the value of living abroad experience. PAX YES Cluster Leaders (CLs) will represent the PAX program and the initiative in their local community (any state is welcome). Working directly with the regional director in the national office (me), a CL will help to arrange homestays and high school enrollment for 3 scholarship finalists per year. Cluster Leaders will earn commission per each student (which is part of the grant), will be invited to attend the annual PAX national meeting, held each year at a different resort location all expenses paid, and will earn travel benefits that will enable them and their family to travel domestically and internationally, make new friends, both at home and around the world.

I am sure that there are some RPCVs who would enjoy a flexible part time job from home that will bring them a little compensation and a lot of fun working with the amazing teenagers in the U.S. for a school year!! Thank you in advance for taking the time to read my long email and passing it around. We do hope to find more people like Karen and Maranee!

If anybody is interested, please email me directly at oxanap@pax.org

Sincerely, Oksana Pavliouk